MONTGOMERY | The Alabama Democratic Party named the son of a slain federal judge to take on Alabama’s Ten Commandments judge for chief justice and possibly upended the tradition of business groups supporting Republican Court candidates and plaintiff lawyers backing Democrats. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Bob Vance officially became the Democratic Party’s nominee when no one else signed up by the noon Wednesday deadline to replace ousted nominee Harry Lyon.

By Phillip RawlsThe Associated Press

By Phillip RawlsThe Associated Press

MONTGOMERY | The Alabama Democratic Party named the son of a slain federal judge to take on Alabama’s Ten Commandments judge for chief justice and possibly upended the tradition of business groups supporting Republican Court candidates and plaintiff lawyers backing Democrats. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Bob Vance officially became the Democratic Party’s nominee when no one else signed up by the noon Wednesday deadline to replace ousted nominee Harry Lyon. That means Vance has slightly more than two months to run a campaign against former Chief Justice Roy Moore. Moore predicted that changing candidates will backfire on Democrats, like it did in the 1986 race for governor when a voter backlash over a Democratic switch propelled Republican Guy Hunt into the governor’s office. “The people of Alabama won’t be fooled,” he said. Democratic Party Chairman Mark Kennedy said starting a campaign in late August is a big challenge, but this is not Alabama’s typical Supreme Court race. He said plaintiff lawyers who traditionally donated to Democrats have given to Moore’s campaign, and that gives Vance the opportunity to seek the support of business people who backed the two candidates who lost to Moore in the Republican primary in March. “It may be an interesting paradigm shift,” said Kennedy, who’s a retired Supreme Court justice. The Alabama Civil Justice Reform Committee, a coalition of businesses that contributed heavily to one of Moore’s opponents in the primary, will get together after Labor Day to decide what to do, Chairman Tom Dart said Wednesday. He said the group may invite Vance and Kennedy to address committee members. Vance, 51, has been a judge in Birmingham since 2002. He is the son of the late U.S. Circuit Judge Robert Vance, who was killed in 1989 by a mail bomb sent by Walter Leroy Moody, who was convicted of murder. The candidate is the husband of Joyce Vance, who was appointed U.S. attorney in Birmingham by President Barack Obama. Moore, 65, served as chief justice from 2001 to 2003, when a state judicial court kicked him out of office for refusing to abide by a federal court order to remove his Ten Commandments monument from the lobby of the state judicial building. Despite earning the title “Alabama’s Ten Commandments judge,” he lost races for governor in 2006 and 2010. He won the Republican primary for chief justice in March over incumbent Chuck Malone and former Attorney General Charlie Graddick. Lyon, a perennial candidate who has run in both major parties and never won, was the only Democrat to sign up to run for chief justice and won the nomination automatically in March. The Democratic Party kicked Lyon off the ballot on Friday. A party committee ruled that critical comments Lyon made about homosexuals, gay marriage and Moore, including calling him a “devil worshipper,” were inappropriate for someone aspiring to be a judge. Lyon said Wednesday that some Democrats had been working to get him off the ballot and get Vance on since Moore won the GOP nomination. Even though he’s been critical of Moore, he said, “I’ll vote for Roy Moore out of principle.” The Democratic Party chairman said, “There was no concerted effort I know of from the party.” Vance said he did not run for chief justice initially because he liked the job that Malone was doing. He said some people approached him about running after the March primary but that he declined until last week, when he became concerned that both candidates were running divisive campaigns. “I was fed up with what I was seeing from both sides,” he said. Vance said he won two races for circuit judge with support from business people and plaintiff and defense lawyers and that he would try to build the same coalition in the chief justice race. Moore’s campaign finance reports show he’s raised about $55,000 in contributions from plaintiff lawyers. About $7,000 came from members of the Montgomery law firm of Beasley Allen, which traditionally supports Democrats. The firm’s founder, former Lt. Gov. Jere Beasley, said Vance has a good reputation, but Moore performed well as chief justice and he supports the right to trial by a jury rather than sending disputes to arbitration. “I’m a Democrat, but I like Roy Moore,” Beasley said. He predicted that both business people and plaintiff lawyers will contribute less to this race than in the past and labeled Moore the favorite against Vance. “It will be extremely difficult for any Democrat to win in a statewide race because of the presidential race,” he said. Melinda Lee Maddox, a Mobile lawyer who launched a write-in campaign for chief justice after Moore won the GOP nomination, said Wednesday she will drop her campaign and support Vance. Another Mobile lawyer who stated a write-in campaign and then dropped it, Ginger Poynter, said she will also back Vance. Republican Gov. Robert Bentley said Wednesday the switch in candidates won’t change his vote. “I support Judge Moore,” he said.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.